John Igo, who died Aug. 9, was a San Antonio educator, writer, artist, photographer, producer and critic. In 2007, the San Antonio Public Library System named a branch library in his honor. He published 12 books of poetry and authored several books of prose — including “On Poetry and Poetics” (Argo Press) — and several plays.

This poem originally appeared in 2007’s “Tropic of Gemini: Early Love Poems.”

Jim LaVilla-Havelin is the Express-News poetry editor. “West,” his fifth collection of poems, will be published by Wings Press in 2017.